There’s nothing like biting into a chocolaty cupcake and realizing that there’s a glob of Nutella in the middle. The Nutella drizzle on top is only a tease. You never really expect it on the inside.
A stuffed cupcake of any sort generally excites a crowd, but it requires a solid napkin supply nearby as it can be a beautiful disaster during consumption. I never know whether to warn people about the filling in the middle ahead of time or keep it a surprise. It’s always fun to slip in a little, “There’s Nutella inside, too,” just as people are going for their first bite of cupcake. Sometimes that elicits a holy shit as the first bite is happening. The diner pulls the cupcake out of their mouth in order to examine the Nutella-filled middle, mouth slightly ajar, before deciding how to attack the next bite. As someone who at this point pretty much lives in order to please others with my desserts, it’s really a beautiful sight to watch this process go down.
Either way, surprise in the middle or no, making stuffed cupcakes is pretty easy, and always delicious. This one is a fudgy chocolate cupcake base with a pocket of Nutella on the inside. It’s topped with my favorite chocolate frosting, more Nutella (I got slightly carried away during my drizzling), and an Oreo to boot. The Nutella-Stuffed Oreo Cupcake is a random assortment of chocolaty goodness, both inside and out.
Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup hot water
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter softened
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
For the Inside/Top:
- 2/3 cup Nutella
- 12-15 Oreos
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare cupcake pans with 12-15 liners.
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Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk together. Set this bowl aside. Combine the egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well-combined. Add the water to the batter and mix until well combined. The batter will be thin.
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Fill the cupcake liners about half-way and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before stuffing. To stuff the cupcakes, use a pairing knife to cut a small circle in the tops of each cupcake, and "scoop" out the small section. Reserve the cupcake pieces you remove, because they will go back on top. Add a dollop of Nutella inside each little pocket, and replace the top with the cupcake piece that you removed.
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While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Cream together the butter and cocoa powder. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well. Add in the vanilla and salt. Finally, add in the milk or cream, one tbsp at a time, until the frosting reaches a smooth consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake an Oreo and an additional drizzle of Nutella. Enjoy!